Wishes
by Gypsy Rose2014
Summary: GABRIEL-VERSE! Four year old Scarlett has her eye on the perfect Christmas gift. Will she drive everyone up the wall before Father Christmas arrives at Baker Street?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Happy Holidays, kittens! I find myself between writing projects right now and I'm in the Christmas spirit, so how about some new adventures from the Gabriel-verse?! I'll also be updating some other stories, so be on the lookout for updates! KISSES to all!

Scarlett was lying on the floor, resting her head on the dog when she saw the commercial. The first Christmas commercial of the year! As soon as she saw the cheery bells Scarlett sat up and knelt close to the television so that she could hear better. The spotlight of the holiday commercial was a doll she'd seen several times in the store. It was a ballerina that came with several outfits and a stage that would make her dance like the girls in The Nutcracker. She watched as the little girl in the commercial dressed the doll up and danced with her in a magical forest scene with snow falling all around them.

She squealed and grabbed Cat, squeezing the poor animal around the neck in her delight. "That's what I'm getting for Christmas, Cat!" The dog didn't argue and instead licked her cheeks and nose. "Sugarplum the Dancing Fairy Princess!"

"All right, Scarlett," Molly sighed, dragging into the lounge with a load of laundry under her arm. "Your daddy will be home any minute so let's get in the bath now while dinner is cooking."

"Okay, Mummy," Scarlett replied as she stumbled to her feet and followed her mother to the bathroom. Ordinarily she would have protested. A few pleas to be allowed to wait until Daddy was home. Or perhaps a little deflection by insisting that she left her favorite bathtime toy on the floor in Gabriel's room. But this time she was very agreeable and didn't even protest when her mother nudged her head back to wash her hair. After all, the most perfect Christmas present ever was riding on it. Gabriel had told Scarlett all about Father Christmas and how you had to be extra good and do exactly as your mum and dad said if you wanted to get what was on your list.

Molly was scrubbing the unruly red curls vigorously when Scarlett finally spoke. "I already know what I want for Christmas, Mummy!"

"Oh?"

"Yep! Sugarplum the Dancing Fairy Princess. She dances on a stage and comes with all these different outfits and a crown that I can wear!"

"Well you'll have to put it on your list then, love."

Scarlett nodded and let her mother finish rinsing her hair. She continued jabbering about how wonderful the toy was and all the interesting things it could do while Molly finished drying her off and helping her into her pajamas. Her excitement was infectious and Molly couldn't help smiling at Scarlett's enthusiasm. "Even Will and Finn would like it, Mummy! They could watch me dance with her!"

"They'd like that very much," Molly giggled. Scarlett had deduced that her parents were more willing to give her what she wanted if the twins were appeased as well. Just as Molly began combing her wet hair gently they could hear Sherlock on the front stairs. Scarlett immediately started wiggling, wanting to get down from her perch on the counter and run to meet her father. "Scarlett… you're going to fall down!"

"I go see my Daddy!" she said, finally sliding to the floor. To her disappointment, by the time she got to Sherlock he was already holding Finn and Gabriel was babbling in his ear about a school trip. While she loved her brothers, she sometimes wished they would just go away. She almost never got to sit in her father's lap anymore. Sometimes it felt like he gave all of his kisses away to Finn and Will before she got there. He was also quicker to annoy than he used to be. They were only a few months old but sometimes she was already sick of them.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down and reaching to be picked up. She smiled as he handed off Finn to Gabriel and let her wrap her arms around his neck.

"Hello…" Before he could get the words out she was hugging his neck tightly and kissing his cheek. "Scarlett…" he choked out, casting a cold sideways glare at John Watson.

"I miss you today," she said.

"Why don't you tell Dad about the worms, Scar?" Her face whipped around to glare at Gabriel who just laughed and set Finn back on the floor with his twin.

"The worms?"

"Shush, Bre! You not sposa tell that."

"Well now I have to know," Sherlock said, sitting down with Scarlett in his lap. He took the hearing aid offered from Molly and began fitting it into the little girl's ear. "What about the worms?"

Scarlett sighed. She couldn't believe that she'd been betrayed by her own big brother! Especially now at Christmas when it was so important. She shrugged and laid her head on his shoulder. "I not know."

"I don't think that's true," Sherlock said.

Gabriel was already laughing. "She almost made her teacher throw up!"

"Scarlett!"

Scarlett mumbled into Sherlock's shoulder. "I not know why she so mad. It was just little worms."

"Dad, she was playing outside with the other primary babies and they dug up all these worms. She wanted to keep them! Can you believe that?" Gabriel thought this was wildly funny. Evidently Will and Finn thought that Gabriel's laughter was wildly funny and they began to giggle and shriek with him.

"They was cold, Daddy. So I put them in my pocket to get warm." She was absolutely serious. Still, after all the commotion she didn't see a thing wrong with a little girl carrying worms in her pocket.

"Oh Scarlett…" he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

When Gabriel managed to catch his breath, he finished the story. "I walked over to her school at the end of the day and her teacher was waiting for me. Apparently Scarlett's friends were all talking about it and Miss Preston asked what was in her pocket- so Scarlett handed over a fistful of worms!" He burst into laughter again imagining the look on that poor woman's face.

"Scarlett!" Molly exclaimed. "That was very naughty of you."

"I sorry, Mummy," she said with a yawn. "She screamed real loud. I don't know why. I like worms. Don't you like worms, Daddy?"

John, who was standing at the kettle, let out a choked chuckle and continued making his cuppa.

"Worms, like frogs, insects…"

"Severed heads," John mumbled from the kitchen.

"… and other things," Sherlock said, completely ignoring John's snark, "…belong outside."

"Okay, Daddy," she said. She made herself comfortable in his lap again, confident in the fact that she wasn't going to be in any real trouble.

"I think she should have to apologize to Miss Preston," Molly sighed.

"She did," Gabriel remarked.

"See," Scarlett grumbled. "I said sorry. I think she should say sorry for hurting my ears when she screamed so loud."

She sat there in Sherlock's lap, listening to her parents and John talk about their days and plans for the evening. She refused to get up even when Finn crawled over and tugged at the cuff of his trousers. It wasn't often she made it to him first and she was going to take advantage for as long as possible. She liked the way his hair smelled and the rough line of his jaw when she brushed her nose against it.

"I think we should get a real tree," Gabriel piped up from his place at the table where he was still struggling with maths problems. "They smell much nicer than those plastic things."

Molly nodded. "I agree, but a real tree with the twins might not be such a good idea."

"I don't understand why we have to bring outside things inside," Sherlock said. "You're already going to make a huge mess at Ambergris with an enormous fire hazard. Why not just skip tree-trimming for the flat?"

"You're such a Grinch, Dad," Gabriel scolded.

"I agree," Molly chimed. "Besides, it isn't as if he has to worry about it. Mary and I will take the girls and the babies and go down next week to take care of Ambergris. That horrible woman has already called me to ask if we're opening our house for-"

"No," Sherlock replied.

"It's just a party, love," Molly sighed.

"No, it's strangers traipsing through the house all night drinking all the wine and eating all our food. Most of them are just weirdos who read John's blog."

Soon all of them were arguing about trees, decorations, and parties. Scarlett wasn't paying much attention. She was too busy imagining herself dancing with that beautiful ballerina, twirling round and round to the Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy. Eventually the conversation died down and soon Scarlett and her father were alone with only the cooing of Will and Finn to break the silence.

"Daddy?" Scarlett said, nudging the open case file from his hands.

"Hmm?"

"Where's Mummy?"

"She went down to Mrs. Hudson's to borrow something."

"Oh." She picked up one of his papers and pretended to read it, imitating her father's mannerisms.

The corner of Sherlock's mouth turned up as he watched her from the corner of his eye. He was often amused by Scarlett's dramatic tendencies and wondered where she got it from. "See anything interesting?"

"The man did it," she said, pointing at one of the photographs.

"Ah. I see. Well thank you for your insight, Miss Holmes."

"You're welcome, Daddy," she said. He chuckled lightly and kissed her curly crown affectionately. She paused for a moment and then, "Daddy?"

"Hmm?" he hummed, trying to remember his patience.

"How long is it until Christmas?"

"Three weeks."

"That's a very long time."

"Not so long."

She sighed and leaned back, sliding her socked feet over the leather arm of the chair and considering how long three weeks could be. To a four year-old it seemed like an eternity. Especially to an impatient one like Scarlett. Like her father, she was not interested in the anticipation of anything. That dancing doll would simply not wait on Father Christmas. What if he didn't get her letter in time and all the dolls were sold out? What if it fell out of the sleigh on the way to her house? What if he sat on it and broke it into pieces? After all, he was a rather large man and the doll was very small and delicate.

"Daddy?"

"What, Scarlett?"

"I don't think I can wait."

"Wait for what, love?"

"For Father Christmas. I want my ballerina doll now, please."

"Your what?" He had obviously decided that reading this file was not going to happen and let it drop to the floor beside the chair to pay attention to his child.

"Sugarplum the Dancing Fairy Princess! She's a doll that can dance on her own stage. And she's got lots of clothes and a crown for me to wear so I can dance too."

"Sounds very exciting," Sherlock replied with slight disdain for Scarlett's increasingly prissy tastes in toys. "But wouldn't you rather have something more interesting? Like a microscope or a chemistry set?"

"No," she replied simply. "Can I have her?"

"Well, put her on your list to Father Christmas."

"I don't think I can wait, Daddy," Scarlett sighed. "Christmas is too far away."

"Oh not so far," he said. "And you have many other toys to distract you until then."

"They're all baby toys," she huffed.

"You didn't seem to think so a few months ago when you asked for them for your birthday."

She had no reply for his logic.

It was late and Gabriel was lying in bed watching Netflix. It was a Friday night and he was allowed to stay up as late as he liked. One of the privileges of being eleven. He'd heard his parents go to bed an hour ago. Will and Finn cried once, but they were evidently sleeping now because the house was dead quiet.

His parents would probably kill him if they knew he was watching this slasher movie. He wasn't supposed to use his parents' Netflix queue, but they had the best movies. Not the kid stuff on his and Scarlett's queue. The aforementioned slasher was stalking a college girl in her underwear down the darkened hallway. She was hiding in a closet and he was just about to strike when… a small knock on Gabriel's door startled him so badly he cried out.

"Bre! You 'wake?" Scarlett's face popped around the edge of his door and he clutched his chest.

"Jeez, Scarface… you scared me," he panted. "What do you want?"

"Can I come in, Bre?" Her speech was garbled. Obviously she wasn't wearing her hearing aids and he waved her in. He muted the television as she scrambled up his footboard and crawled toward him. She had something in her hand and it made it difficult to crawl, but she finally managed to dive under the covers beside him and make herself comfortable.

"Why are you out of bed? Mum and Dad will kill you if they find you up at this hour."

She shoved one of their dad's notebooks and a fat, pink pencil at him. "I need to write a letter to Father Christmas," she said, signing now that her hands were free. "And I not good at writing, so you have to help."

Gabriel sighed. "Scar, can't this wait until morning?" he signed back.

"Please, Bre!" She stared up at him with her big hazel eyes and he couldn't resist. Gabriel loved his baby sister to distraction and would do almost anything she asked. Even if it was writing a list to Father Christmas at one in the morning.

He heaved a heavy sigh, knowing he was defeated, and picked up the childish pencil. "All right. What do you want to say?"

"Remember, you hav'a write it just like I say."

"Yes, Scarlett. Go ahead. I'll write it just like you say."

She nodded and cleared her throat.

" _Dear Father Christmas,_

 _My name is Scarlett."_

"Scarlett. Father Christmas knows who you are. You don't have to tell him your name"

"Just write my letter how I say, Bre!"

"Fine. Just get on with it so you can go back to bed."

 _"_ _My name is Scarlett and I live at Baker Street in Westminster with my mummy and daddy and my Bre and my brothers, Finn and Will. How are you doing? I been very good this year except for when I push Annemarie down. But she was picking on me and Bre said she had it coming. I don't know what that means. I said I was sorry."_

"Scarlett, you don't have to tell him your whole life story."

She ignored him and continued,

" _Mummy says we shouldn't be greedy. The thing I want the most is the Sugarplum Fairy Princess dancing doll. She is beautiful! She comes with a stage that she can dance on and four outfits and a pretty crown that I can wear. She is perfect for me since I want to be a ballerina when I grow up. Besides that, I would like some chocolate, a game thing like Bre's (because he never lets me play with it)_

"That's because you're always messing it up!"

 _I would also like to be able to hear better. I hate wearing this stupid robot ear! Thank you for reading my letter._

 _Scarlett Holmes_

 _Also, would you please get my Bre the stuff on his list? He is a really good big brother. And I guess Finn and Will are good too, so please bring them some baby toys._

"Okay, Bre. That's all." Gabriel handed over the letter and she looked through it with the keen eye of an inspector. "Oh!" she exclaimed, grabbing the pencil from him. "I gotta write my name." He handed over the pencil, watching with amusement as she concentrated on printing "SCARLETT" in large, blocky letters.

"There. Now you can go to bed," Gabriel sighed, laying back against his pillows. He was starting to get sleepy himself now.

Scarlett opened the notebook up again and pulled another sheet of paper out and shoved it at Gabriel with the pencil. "Now you have'a write yours."

"God, Scarlett," Gabriel exclaimed. "I'll write it tomorrow."

"Nope. You gotta write it now." She pushed the pencil into his clenched fist. "And Mummy says you not s'posa say God like that. It's a swear. And read it to me while you write, please."

"Fine," he said through clenched teeth.

 _Dear Father Christmas,_

 _I would like some new games for the Xbox—_

"Bre! You can't just start the letter asking for stuff! You gotta be polite."

"It's my letter!"

"Don't be rude!"

Gabriel was now clutching his pencil in his fist angrily as he scribbled,

 _"_ _I hope you are doing well this year. I would like some new games for the Xbox, some chocolate, and a guitar. Thank you._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Gabriel Holmes_

"There. Are you happy now?" But she was already tearing off another sheet of paper.

"Now for Will and Finn."

"Scarlett, they're babies. They don't want anything."

"How do you know? Did you ask them?"

He was quickly losing his patience. A glimpse of his face in the mirror revealed a perfect imitation of his father. "I don't have to ask them. They can't talk!"

"Please, Bre?" He rolled his eyes and began writing. "Out loud, please."

 _Dear Father Christmas,_

 _I hope you are well. Please bring us some teething rings, a box of nappies, and puffy snacks. Thank you._

 _William and Phineas Holmes_

Gabriel handed over Will and Finn's letter to Father Christmas, fully expecting that she would hand him more paper to write letters for his parents, Katie Adams and the dog. "Is that it?" he asked, disbelieving.

"Yep," she said as she gathered her pencil and placed the letters inside the notebook.

"What about Cat?"

Scarlett stared at him strangely and shook her head as she giggled. "Silly. Cat can write her own."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So Christmas was busy, but I'm not above continuing a Christmas story after Christmas has passed. WARNING: this one's a little racy in places, hence why the rating changed. Apparently I was feeling spry today. Happy Holidays kids! And thanks for the reviews!**

"Scarlett, darling. You have to stand up straight." That was much easier said than done. She'd been standing motionless in the dressing room while her mother pulled one dress off and another one on over and over for the better part of an hour. Mary and Mrs. Hudson sat on the bench in the hallway, oohing and aahing over every dress, but after the first ten, Scarlett was done.

"I'm tired, Mummy," Scarlett whined. "Can't we go home?"

"Not yet, dear. We have to find a new dress for you to wear on Christmas Eve. But after we try these on, we'll go and have something to eat. Okay?"

Scarlett sighed. "Okay, Mummy." She was trying to be agreeable. She really was. She hadn't complained the whole time even though she'd have much rather been with the others at the aquarium. Not that she was crazy about fish. She didn't really like the aquarium, but it was better than having to be tortured by putting on stiff, itchy dresses in a hot dressing room.

"I still can't believe you managed to talk Sherlock into going to church in Rye on Christmas Eve," Mrs. Hudson observed.

"He doesn't know," Molly replied as she tied the sash at Scarlett's waist.

"What do you mean he doesn't know?"

"I haven't told him," Molly replied simply before turning to stare at Mary. "And don't you go telling John. We all know he can't keep a secret and it will just end up being a big fight."

Mary chuckled and nodded. "It's none of my business, but how do you intend to keep this little tidbit from Sherlock? When are you planning on telling him?"

"In the car on the way to the church." Mary and Mrs. Hudson exchanged wary glances. "I know what you're thinking," Molly continued. "But I want to go and take the children and I'd like for Sherlock to come too. And it isn't as if St. Mary's is this oppressive, super-religious experience. Just a nice, candlelit Christmas Eve mass. Besides, it isn't for me, it's for the children." She smoothed the skirt on Scarlett's dress and tugged it into place on her shoulders. "Oh now this is really beautiful. Turn so Nena and Mary can see."

Scarlett heaved another exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes as she turned in the light, modelling the dress to their gasps. It was an ivory lace dress with a wide, red satin sash that her mother had tied into a large bow on the front. "Why can't I wear one of my other dresses?"

"Those were party dresses," Molly replied. The dress Scarlett was currently wearing was a bit more formal than the other dresses Molly had insisted on buying her the month previous. One for the party at St. Bart's, one for the party at Ambergris, and another that she'd ended up wearing to the ballet only to have her mother decide that it wasn't dressy enough for church. "Hmm… I don't know, Scarlett. This one has little capped sleeves. You'll be cold, I think."

"She can always wear that pretty little red jacket that came with Jada's dress from last year. I think its just about the same color as the sash."

"Or her red wooly peacoat would be precious," Nena joined in.

"Of course she'll need new shoes…" Molly mused.

"Mummy… I have to use the bathroom," Scarlett whined.

"In a second, Scarlett. Now stand up straight. Is it too long, do you think?"

"I can hem that up in no time at all," Nena said.

Molly chewed on her bottom lip, obviously lost in thought. She reached behind Scarlett to look at the tag in back. "Hmm… if Sherlock doesn't kill me over church, he might over this dress."

"How much?" Mary asked.

"Too much."

"Mummmmyyyy…" Scarlett whimpered. "I really have to use the toilet." She was dancing from one foot to the other. In a moment it would be too late and the question of whether her mother should buy the dress would be rendered completely irrelevant.

"All right, Scarlett." Scarlett rushed back into the dressing room and wiggled out of the dress and into enough of her clothing to walk through the shop.

"Come on, love. I'll take you." Mrs. Hudson took Scarlett's hand and led her away toward the ladies' toilets.

 **OoOoOo**

Molly began gathering the wreckage of dresses in the dressing room and passing them to Mary to put back on the hangers. "So," Mary began. "You've never been adamant about taking the children to church before. Why now?"

"I've taken them on my own before."

"Yes, but you've never insisted on Sherlock coming too. Or the rest of us for that matter. So spill it. What's going on?"

Molly shook her head. "Nothing is going on. I've never made any secret that I don't want my children to be heathens like Sherlock."

Mary laughed. "I don't think that has anything to do with religion."

"No. And he'd never admit it, but since Gabriel came and then Scarlett, Sherlock has been slightly less obnoxiously atheist. More like… annoyingly agnostic."

Mary nodded. "So what is it? You aren't pregnant again are you?"

"No!" Molly sighed and looked around to be sure no one was listening. "Gabriel swore me to secrecy, but… a couple of weeks ago, the priest at St. Mary's called and asked if Gabe would play for the service on Christmas Eve. It seems that their usual musician fell and broke his arm and left them without someone to play for the service. The priest there happened to know that Gabriel could play and asked him. He wasn't going to tell Sherlock at all and just go down to the church on Christmas Eve, play, and come home with no one the wiser. But he told me about it and I want everyone to go and see him. It's supposed to be a surprise."

"That's so wonderful!" Mary exclaimed.

"Shush… Gabriel is extremely nervous about it. It's the first time he's ever played on his own in front of a lot of people. I mean, he does recitals all the time but that's for the same people he's known since he was five. This will be the first time he's really… I guess showcased." She saw Scarlett and Mrs. Hudson coming back across the shop and cleared her throat.

As the pair came closer, Molly could see that Mrs. Hudson looked very distressed. "What's the matter?" she asked.

"Oh dear," Mrs. Hudson stammered. Her eyes were darting around the room as if she were looking for something. Before she could finish, Molly noticed that Scarlett was tugging at her ear with one hand as she clutched her Nena's with the other. Her ear that was devoid of a hearing aid. "I'm afraid that Scarlett lost one of her hearing aids."

"Scarlett, where did you take it off?" Molly questioned.

"I not know, Mummy."

"Maybe it fell out while she was changing," Mary offered, going back into the dressing room to look. The three women proceeded to tear up the children's section of the department store looking for the tiny pink box while Scarlett stood by watching. Soon there were sales clerks and stockboys helping. After nearly an hour of searching all over the store, even the children's manager was helping them.

"Maybe she didn't lose it here," Mrs. Hudson offered.

"She must have," Molly said. "She had it in her ear when we got here. Both of them."

"Mummy… I'm hungry. Can't we go?" Scarlett whined.

"No!" Molly snapped.

"But I'm hungry!"

"Scarlett, that hearing aid is more than 2000 pounds. If I leave here without it, I'd better be prepared to sell vital organs." Sherlock always had a funny way of walking in at the most inappropriate times. This time he pushed through the Christmas crowds trying to get to the kids' clothing section of the shop. "Great," Molly sighed.

He was already bristling with coattails flying. "What are you doing? We've been waiting at the restaurant for an hour!"

"Uhm… well…" Molly stammered, pushing Scarlett slightly behind her. "We've been delayed."

"Well I left John down there with all the children, two of which were wailing when I walked out! Besides that, Lestrade has been calling me every two minutes for the last hour and you are nowhere to be found!"

"I know, I'm sorry. It's just…"

"I just think it's very inconsiderate of you to just…" He paused, narrowing his eyes to zero in on Scarlett who was trying very hard to press her face into her mother's hip. He reached around and took Scarlett's arm gently, guiding her out from behind Molly and kneeling down on her level.

"Sherlock, we'll be there in just a minute. You don't have to be so impatient and you don't have to scold me like a child!"

But he wasn't paying attention. He had already detected that something wasn't quite right with Scarlett. He pushed her hair back. Molly hid her face in her hands, preparing for the inevitable argument. "Scarlett, where is your hearing aid?"

She shrugged innocently, throwing her hands up. "I not know, Daddy. I went to the toilet with Nena and it ran away. I think its hiding."

Molly's head snapped up. "You had it when you went to the toilet? Why didn't you tell me that?"

Scarlett shrugged again. "You not ask me, Mummy."

Mary sighed. "I'll go look."

"What do you mean its hiding?" Scarlett shrugged again. This time she didn't seem so sure of herself and the corners of her mouth were turned up in a nervous grin. "I don't believe you," he said. "In fact, given that the last several days you've been very vocal about the fact that you hate your hearing aids; even going so far as to have Gabriel pen a letter to Father Christmas asking that he make you able to hear better, I think you know exactly where it is."

"But Daddy…" she started.

"Go get it now, Scarlett."

"Sherlock," Molly started. "I don't think the child hid her hearing aid. It probably just fell out." But before he could reply, Scarlett began to cry. She was blubbering an explanation as she started through the store. She snaked along the path to the ladies' bathroom with her parents on her heels. She finally paused at a large display full of Christmas dishes. On the highest shelf sat an enormous porcelain, Victorian styled punchbowl.

Scarlett pointed up at it and mumbled tearfully, "Up there."

Sure enough, when Sherlock tipped the bowl, the small pink box and it's clear wires fell out of it. Sherlock was quick and caught the earpiece just before it hit the floor.

"How did she even get it up there?"

"I throwed it in the air. I was waiting for Nena!" She burst into loud, ugly sobs that began to draw the attention of the other shoppers.

"Scarlett!" Molly exclaimed. "That was very naughty of you! And you had all these people helping us, wasting their time! Why didn't you say something?"

"No, Mummy…" Scarlett wailed. "You be angry!"

"No…" Molly started.

"Yes! Very!" Sherlock shouted, cutting Molly off. She laid a hand on his arm, trying to calm him. "No," he said, whipping around to glare at Molly. "Do not baby her! If she hadn't been forced to speak up, we'd have been out a lot of money. We let her get away with far too much."

"Sherlock, she's just a baby," Mrs. Hudson argued.

"That's just it. She isn't. She's four years old and old enough to know better than to hide expensive pieces of medical equipment! Especially after she's been told over and over to leave it alone!"

Scarlett was completely wrecked by her father's tone and was now weeping openly with shaky, loud sobs. She tried to reach for Mrs. Hudson, but Sherlock took her arm and began leading her out of the department store. Molly looked at the other two women, her eyes questioning what she should do. They both shrugged and followed them out. At one point, Scarlett attempted to stop short and refuse to move, but thought better of it and ended up stumbling into her father's side.

The restaurant where they were gathered to eat was just around the corner. John looked slightly disheveled as he sat there with Izzy clinging to one side and a whimpering Will on his other hip. Gabriel and Katie were trying to help, but quickly became annoyed with the constant whining of the twins and Izzy and Jada's arguing. When Molly, Mary, and Mrs. Hudson arrived at the table John almost applauded.

"What happened to you?"

"We had a little incident in the department store," Mary replied, kissing him.

Molly was noticeably silent.

"So where's Sherlock?"

"He'll be along shortly," Mrs. Hudson answered. "He said not to wait."

 **OoOoO**

Molly was standing on the tips of her toes, balancing on a chair and trying desperately to reach the top shelf of the cupboard. The whole top was almost completely full of bags that were threatening to come crashing down on top of her. She teetered precariously, leaning over as far as she could to grab a shopping bag that had fallen way in the back.

"Save your life!" Sherlock shouted, grabbing her from behind and pulling her off the chair.

She squealed as he scooped her up. "You idiot!" she giggled. "Don't scare me like that."

"Shh… you'll wake up the children." He pulled her close and kissed her lips gently as he lowered them to the bed. Molly sighed, comforted by the weight and warmth of his body. She could taste the bittersweet bourbon that still lingered on his lips. It made her thirsty and she opened to him, letting his tongue slip its way inside. He broke their kiss and Molly arched against him, sliding a leg around his. Their bodies were sealed tight to one another and she could feel his desire for her. A hard knot of want that settled between her thighs and pushed insistently. His lips were at her ear, letting them feather over the cuff as he whispered wicked promises.

"You evil thing," she purred. "I've far too much to do to play with you right now."

"It can wait."

"Don't you have a case or something?" she asked. Her eyes fluttered as his hand found her breast.

"A case for you, Dr. Holmes…"

She chuckled lightly, threading her fingertips in the luxuriant curls at his crown. "You must be feeling powerful after your argument with Scarlett."

"There was no argument," he replied, kissing the corner of her jaw and then tracing the line of her jugular vein with the tip of his tongue. "She eventually saw things my way." Whatever he'd said or done to the child was kept between them. They had returned to the restaurant and finished dinner with everyone else. Scarlett had been silent the entire time.

"I'm sure," Molly said with a breathy moan. "You're very persuasive."

"I know."

Persuasive indeed. All thoughts of Christmas wrapping were a distant memory as she allowed his fingertips to deftly relieve her of her pajamas. The ends of his hair tickled the delicate skin in the valley between her breasts and lower as he traveled farther south, tasting and teasing her most intimate locales. Say what you like about Sherlock's focus and pathological attention to detail. All those things that made him an almost supernatural detective made him an almost supernatural lover. An involuntary spasm of muscle or a sharp intake of breath that would be undetectable to others was a moan of pleasure to Sherlock. And he retained every little tidbit that he had learned about Molly over the last six years. He knew that while lying on her back this way, he would only succeed in arousing her slowly with the gentle sweeps of his tongue over her clit, thereby making her nearly desperate for his entry. However, if the object of his foreplay was to make her come fast and hard, screaming his name into the pillow over and over, it would be more advantageous to roll her over on her belly, guiding her to her knees and arching her body higher to receive his sneaky kisses.

Molly purred and stretched out, sliding the curve of her calf muscle along the plane of his hip. Her fingers were in his hair and she bit down hard on her lip to keep from crying out when he pressed his tongue inside. It wouldn't work for long and moments later she was panting.

"Stop," she gasped. "I want more than just your mouth and you're far too overdressed."

She watched as he undressed with the same smoldering fascination that he could always ignite. By the time he crawled under the covers with her, she was already climbing on top of him. Sherlock wouldn't let her enjoy this dominance for long, so she wielded it while she could. She pushed him down and kissed his lips, tasting herself lingering there. His hands were rough as they gripped her hips, digging into the flesh as he guided her lower. Their centers met and she was so slick and ready that he slipped inside easily. She wanted to scream, but she knew that she would wake some or all of their children if she did. So she bit down on his shoulder.

The world slipped away and soon they could hear only the breaths and sighs of one another as they made love. It was only by a tiny bit of grace that they heard Scarlett knocking before she barged inside.


End file.
